Time Management Strategies for Online Courses
6. Examinations
Although not ideally suited to the online environment,traditional quizzes and examinations are still the most popular form of assessment in the online classroom. And why not? Quizzes and exams are easy to create, simple to administer,and can give a reasonably accurate indication of learning outcomes if used properly. Consider the following tips when using quizzes and examinations in online courses.
The Quiz Tool
If using a course management system (CMS) such as WebCT or Blackboard, use the quiz tool to create online tests and quizzes.
Tests and quizzes created in a CMS are electronically graded (except for essay questions) with the grades transferred automatically to the online grade book. Grades can also be released to students immediately after the completion of the test or they can be released at a later date.
Electronic Self-tests
Use electronic self-tests to give students practice exams that not only provide an excellent study tool but also give students experience in taking an online exam.
Self-study examinations are not graded and thus can be retaken several times. The use of self-study exams may cut down on the number of questions that are typically asked of the instructor just prior to an online exam.
Publisher Databanks
If the textbook publisher has a support website, the site may have question databanks already created that can be quite easily cut and pasted into online quizzes.
These databanks are usually broken down by chapter or unit, making it easy to find just the questions applicable to the unit of study.
Third Party Software
Consider using a third party software package to develop examination questions.
Products such as Respondus, Quiz Factory, and Questionmark Perception allow instructors to develop traditional examinations easily and import them directly to many of the major course management systems such as WebCT,Blackboard, and eLearning. These products are much easier to use than CMS-based quiz creators and are not expensive to purchase.
